5 Questions with Eastern Hills Principal Whitney Scott

1. What led you to become a teacher?

My entire family is in the field of education, and I grew up playing school. However, when I went to college I had this bright idea that I was going to become a financial analyst. This did not last long. In my first semester of college, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I wanted to be a teacher. I had the most incredible history class that first semester. This class made me realize that I wanted to go back and teach history at my alumni Dunbar High School. I wanted to be a part of ensuring that every student was prepared to go to college and have the experience I was having at The University of Texas at Austin. It was a revelation and a heart change that I am so grateful for.

2. How did your own education impact your decision to become a principal in FWISD?

I am a product of FWISD, and as I stated before my entire family works for FWISD. I attended Lily B. Clayton Elementary School, McLean Middle School, and Dunbar High School. I was surrounded by educators that were passionate about the education of all students. I heard night and day that teachers are valuable and have such an impact on the knowledge of students. Great teaching is the key to a successful student. I am passionate about this truth. It has driven every single position that I have been blessed to have. I can thank my parents, family, and teachers for educating me and showing me the value and impact of a great teacher.

3. Can you share the top three successes you are most proud of as Eastern Hills Principal?

This is my first year at Eastern Hills Elementary. I could not have asked for a better place to start my career as a principal.

Top 3 Successes:

I inherited an incredible school. The former principal, Paula Brooks, led her teachers and students to remarkable success on the 2017 STAAR. There were huge gains in our reading, math, and writing STAAR scores. This proves that excellent instruction leads to student achievement. Our 3rd – 5th-grade teachers have continued to work really hard on providing the best instruction that will lead to our students having a successful year.

I am also proud of our focus on early literacy. Our Pre-K through 2nd-grade teachers are focused on ensuring that all of our students are on or above grade level in reading and math. Our teachers are receiving training from our district and campus coaches that is helping them to develop and execute the instruction that will lay a great foundation for our students. I am proud of the intentional focus on instruction from every educator in our building.

I am also happy that our faculty and staff are committed to creating the best environment for our students, parents, and community. We believe that it is so important that we have a positive culture and climate at Eastern Hills. We know that it takes the work of every single person at our school. I am so thankful that our faculty and staff know how important it is to have an environment where all students, parents, and community members feel excited and welcome to come to our school.

4. What role do parents play in their student’s success at EHES?

Parents play such a critical role in the success of our students. Parents are our students first teachers. They are the first ones to share with their children the value of education and the importance of reading, math, writing, science, and social studies. We must continue to increase our partnership with our parents to ensure that all of our students are college and career ready.

5. How can the community support Eastern Hills?

We love our community and want them to be involved in the education of our students. We welcome community members to volunteer and read to our students. We want our community members to attend our school events so that they become a part of our Eastern Hills family. We desire that our community members will come alongside us as we partner with our families to ensure that our students are focused on academics at home and school. Educating our students must be a partnership with all stakeholders. We want our community members to be a part of the decisions we make to educate our students.